


Let Me Be Alone (Yours)

by Kyra_Bane



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Apologies Don't Fix Everything, Bruce Needs a Hug, Comment Fic, F/M, Mission Insane Fic, Natasha Romanov Can Find Anyone Anywhere, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-20
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-04-10 09:22:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4386443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyra_Bane/pseuds/Kyra_Bane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It takes her longer to find him than Bruce anticipated it would. When he'd originally woken, miles away from anyone he knew, fury still thrumming through his veins, he'd gone to ground, using every trick, every favour, everything he had in his arsenal (with one large, green exception) to cover his tracks.</p><p>Of course, she's always had an extra trick or two hidden up her sleeves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Me Be Alone (Yours)

It takes her longer to find him than Bruce anticipated it would. When he'd originally woken, miles away from anyone he knew, fury still thrumming through his veins, he'd gone to ground, using every trick, every favour, every _thing_ he had in his arsenal (with one large, green exception) to cover his tracks.

Of course, she's always had an extra trick or two hidden up her sleeves.

She's hesitant, which isn't new, not around him, but the uncertain smile is. She isn't sure of her welcome and there's something pleasing about that to Bruce, because it means she has an idea of what she did.

He stands across from her in the tiny apartment he's been staying in for twenty-two days, and he sighs. "What do you want?" he asks. His voice sounds as tired as it ever does. He _feels_ as tired as he ever did. Ever since the accident, his life has been a long line of exhaustion and slow, simmering anger. His stint with Tony and the rest, that's a vibrant, pulsing moment in a long swathe of grey.

She swallows and glances around, though Bruce knows she already has the place catalogued in her mind. She probably knows more about this apartment than he does. "I know you don't want to hear it," Natasha says, "But you should come back."

Bruce shakes his head. "No." There's no question for him. Not after what she did.

"Bruce, I-" She takes a step towards him, but pauses when he lifts his hands. He's leaning against one of the counters in the kitchen; he'd been in the middle of making coffee, before he'd noticed her presence. The room smells of it. Light filters through the half-open blinds; it's cold out, but the brightness of the day is deceiving.

"I'm sorry," she says and Bruce thinks it's a true apology, but then he's not sure he can trust that. "I've come for me, not for Fury or anyone else. I know I shouldn't have done what I did, but we didn't have a choice."

"You had a choice, Natasha," Bruce replies. "You _made_ a choice. These are the consequences."

She sighs. It doesn't sound irritated, just resigned. "Bruce, you know we're gonna need your help again." When Bruce opens his mouth, she adds, "Not even like that – we miss you. The others miss you. No one knows that I'm here, but I think Stark's trying to find you too. If you come back-"

"If I come back, then what? You'll use me, _again_? You'll hurt me, _again_?" Bruce scowls and bites back a curse. "You expect me to trust you after this? I should have known after our first meeting – you lied to me then, remember? What, are there SWAT guys waiting outside this apartment, too?"

"No! I swear, I didn't tell anyone you were here, not even Clint. I just thought if I came out here, then maybe you'd come back." She takes a deep breath and something in her posture changes. She's no longer Natasha, now she's Agent Romanov and Bruce's eyes slide away from her, to his empty coffee cup.

"I'm not coming back," Bruce says. "That's my final answer. Please leave."

She nods once and walks towards the door. Her hand on the doorknob, she pauses, and Bruce tenses, all the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. What if there's someone out there, what if-

Natasha looks back at him and smiles. There's something soft in it, something he recognises from their quiet moments in Clint's house, their ridiculous plan to run away together.

"You want to know how I found you?" she asks.

He's helpless to resist bait like that. "How?"

"I remembered the last time. I searched within a general distance of Sokovia and looked for some place where healthcare was poor. I knew you'd be nearby. You might not be an Avenger any more, Bruce, but you can't help but help people." She takes a breath and looks him dead in the eyes. "You can be mad at me for betraying you all you like, but don't pretend like if I hadn't pushed you, you'd have run off to save your own skin. That's not you. You _help_ people. You'd have jumped into the fray yourself, in the end."

Bruce knows the truth of it, but he says nothing and Natasha smiles again, though this one is fleeting. She opens the door and leaves, pulling it softly closed behind her.

Bruce takes three long, deep breaths. He turns and switches the kettle back on. When he turns back, he notices a business card on the other kitchen counter – and he recognises Tony's phone number scrawled across it.

He takes his coffee to the sofa and, without giving it too much thought, slips the card into his pocket.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm getting back into this writing thing! (Hopefully.) I used two different prompts for this, one from comment-fic and one from mission-insane:
> 
> any, any, How do you hide when you're running from yourself? (Gattaca)
> 
> unthemed #03: prompt #06 - help.
> 
> Enjoy!


End file.
